Schiele's Slant: The umpire strikes back

It is a thankless job. One where, while kids are having fun on the field, adults in the stands sometimes are the ones acting like children.

We’ve all seen it. Or heard it. The loudmouth with the booming voice expressing his displeasure over a call. The mom shrieking after her son got called out looking at strike three.

Advertisement

Heckling an umpire dates back to shortly after Abner Doubleday penned the rules of the game. In most cases, the catcalls and cackles are harmless banter. Just a chance to poke fun at the men in blue.

But after chatting with various local Little League umpires, all agree there are times when parents go over the line. Not often, mind you, but when the line is crossed, things sometimes can turn ugly.

“It doesn’t happen a lot,” said umpire Frank Giunta, a veteran of seven-plus years behind the plate. “I’d say it’s less than one percent. Most of the time the parents act like they’re supposed to. After the game they thank you and appreciate what you do.”

The umpires admit they’ve missed some call over the years. And they don’t mind dealing with coaches and managers over such matters. But when the parents get involved, that’s a different story.

“I understand people are competitive and they want their kids to do well,” umpire Brian Nardelli, a 10-year veteran, said. “That’s why I try and ignore that stuff and don’t pay attention. To me, it’s not about the parents. It’s about the kids and I try to keep it there.

“Unfortunately, there’s always one that causes a stir now and then, it’s rare, but it happens. I’ve seen fans get thrown out. I even saw one get so mad he threw his lawn chair.”

Hey ump, we know you’re blind, we’ve seen your wife.

You couldn’t call a cab.

LensCrafters called, your glasses will be ready in 10 minutes.

Umpire Tim Sugalski, who has been calling games for about four years, understands the heat-of-the-moment times when parents go off. But, he said, they have to learn to let it go.

“The crazy things is when they harp on one close call,” Sugalski said. “They never let it go the entire game, and after it.

“They think you are being unfair, but you’re out here doing the best you can. It’s not like I’m being paid more by one team or the other. It’s not like I have a team I want to see win. I’m here to call the game and see the kids have fun.”

Pat Allman, who has been umpiring games for 22 seasons, has tossed out his fair share of fans over the years. He even gave the thumb to a mascot once. Yes, a mascot. More on that later.

“When it comes to language, there is no warning,” Allman said. “You hook them right away. You know the words I mean. There’s no place for that at all, especially around kids.

“If they are loud (but not cursing) and far away I’ll warn them. If they are close, like behind the backstop and act like a commentator, commenting on everything, I’ll usually wait to between innings, get a drink of water and quietly tell them they can watch the game from here or from the parking lot. The results are usually pretty good.”

Hey ump, this cell phone must be yours. It has three missed calls.

Wake up ump, you’re missing a great game.

I’ve seen potatoes with better eyes.

Giunta finds it amazing that some of the biggest umpire baiters are people that have no clue about the game.

“It’s mostly a lack of knowledge by parents who don’t know what they are talking out, he said. “They don’t know the rules and they voice their opinions without an education.

“You would think parents would set an example for the kids. The kids, sometimes you call them out, they maybe make a face or something, then walk away. The parents, they just continue to go on and on about it. It’s funny, the parents sometimes act like a child more than the kids do themselves.”

Allman said in most cases, the parents that go over the edge are not one-time offenders.

“Usually, when a person is a troublemaker at a game, they don’t save it for just baseball. It’s every sport, every year. The parents know who the bad apples are.

“There have been times I’ve warned people, or hooked people, and when the game was over, a parent from that same team will come up to me and will tell me they were glad I did that. That he’s been doing it all year.”

Hey Blue, did your glass eye fog up?

Can I pet your seeing-eye dog after the game?

I thought only horses slept standing up.

As for worst-case scenarios, thankfully none of the umpires had physical altercations.

One talked about having his cellphone in hand, 9-1-1 dialed in and ready to hit send after his car was surrounded by angry parents that eventually walked away.

Another told a story of an angry parent being physically restrained by other bystanders as the ump sprinted to his car.

The best of the bunch was about an incensed parent, after a call at home to end the game, jumping over the outfield fence and running to confront the ump at the plate. How did it end? “He was arrested for public intoxication,” the umpire said with a laugh.

As for the mascot ejection story, Allman explained it this way.

He was living in the state of Washington, calling a district playoff game where fans, parents and mascots were not allowed to coach the kids during tournament games.

“The guy had been drinking,” Allman said. “The mascot was a guy in a gorilla suit. Hey, I drink, and I can tell he had been drinking, even if he’s wearing a gorilla suit. He kept coaching the kids, even after I told him to stop several times. I told him, mascots are supposed to cheer, not coach.

“He doesn’t stop, so finally I hook him. I ran the mascot. And by rule, he had to leave the field. Next thing I know, I see him, still in his gorilla suit, head and all, driving off down the road in an open Jeep. Meanwhile, I’m thinking to myself, I just ran a gorilla.”

Back on a serious note, Allman has advice for parents. Having seen thousands of games, he speaks from experience.

“The parents are supposed to be here to cheer,” he said. “That’s what I tell them, it’s your job to cheer, my job to umpire, the coach’s job to coach and for the kids, it’s their job to play and have fun. It’s as simple as that.”